The insecurity-prone areas in the northern parts of Jonglei State have since June witnessed relative peace and stability without inter-communal violence.
This comes barely months after reports of inter-communal violence in parts of Jonglei State and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA).
According to the authorities Radio Tamazuj interviewed, the stabilizing security situation is due to the protracted peace dialogues held among the rival groups over the past months.
John Chatim, the commissioner of Duk County in Jonglei State, said: “In Duk, we have been at peace with our Pibor neighbors over the past two months. Now, we are recovering all the abductees from the side of Pibor.”
The Ayod County commissioner, James Chuol Jiek, pointed out that his county is also calm despite recurring cattle raids which he described as isolated.
“It was last week that two children were abducted and over the weekend some criminal groups were spotted in the area but all these are not posing a big risk. The only problem is that water (floods) is everywhere and there is no food,” Commissioner Chuol said.
In Uror County, the scene of recent road ambushes and cattle raids, Commissioner Tang Chatim attributed the current security trend to peace meetings held among the communities of Jonglei State and their GPAA neighbors.
He pointed out that they will continue engaging the GPAA authorities to ensure that peace is maintained.
For his part, Lokali Amae, the newly-appointed GPAA chief administrator, said the improved security in Jonglei and Pibor is because youth have heeded calls for peace.
The government official however called on aid agencies in the country to intervene for the peace to be maintained in the troubled region.
“The problem now is that youth may not continue heeding our calls to stop raids if no alternative economic activity is provided to keep them engaged. So I want our partners to provide vocational skills and job opportunities for our youth,” Amae said.